Iowa State football: Perception changed, profile raised

An Iowa State graduate who lives in Cedar Rapids was out and about in Linn County Saturday. She said she saw a lot more people wearing Cyclone garb than she normally notices.

At around the same time, I was in a store that sells Purdue University garb across the street from the school's Mackey Arena. I overheard people talking about Iowa State's football team. Their voices were filled with admiration and delight.

Early in the ABC telecast of Saturday night's USC-Oregon game in Eugene, the audience was shown a Ducks fan holding a sign saying "Thank You Iowa State." ISU had opened the door for Oregon to vie for a slot in the BCS title game, albeit temporarily since the Ducks lost to the Trojans.

Was the Cyclones' 37-31 double-overtime victory over Oklahoma State Friday night the biggest win in school history? A better question is if any other win even compares.

It's been a few days now, so there's been a little time for perspective. But none is necessary. Nothing can change these facts:

A 10-0, second-ranked team with the nation's most-explosive offense (sorry, Houston) that was a four-touchdown favorite was beaten by a 5-4 club that rallied from a 17-point deficit.

Oklahoma State has a defense that has kept it from playing in the BCS title game, yes. But the Cowboys more than compensated for it on the road against Texas A&M, Texas and Texas Tech. They more than made up for it against the magnificent Robert Griffin III and Baylor, blasting the Bears in Stillwater, 59-24.

And is it really a poor defense when the Cowboys have forced 37 turnovers? That's six more than any other team, and over twice as many as Alabama, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, and 57 other teams.

In Ames, Iowa State made up for allowing the usual onslaught of passing yardage by OSU's Brandon Weeden by making big plays on defense. Oh, did the Cyclones make big plays.

Start with linebacker A.J. Klein, who had 14 tackles, forced a fumble, and had a quarterback hurry that resulted in Weeden throwing an interception. Fellow linebacker Jake Knott has to be the state's defensive player of the year. He had 13 tackles against OSU, and tipped the pass that in the second overtime that Cyclone defensive back Ter'ran Benton picked off.

Cornerback Leonard Johnson defended superstar Cowboy receiver Justin Blackmon expertly. Several weeks ago, Texas Coach Mack Brown called Johnson a future NFL defensive back. He was right.

The Cyclones may very well get beaten in their final two regular-season games, at Oklahoma and Kansas State. But they've got a lot of talented players, and that talent was on full display Friday night.

How good does it feel for ISU to know quarterback Jared Barnett is just getting started? No reasonable person could have expected the redshirt freshman to play as well as he did Friday?  He threw two interceptions (one that was returned for a touchdown) and lost a fumble, but shrugged it all off. He passed for 376 yards and ran for 84. He had three TD passes when before the night was done. He made the plays.

Coach Paul Rhoads has been raking in another round of deserved praise. You know the toteboard. In three years, his ISU teams have beaten Nebraska and Texas on the road, and now has given the Cyclones their first win ever over a top-5 club. Three months ago or even three weeks ago, you probably didn't read or hear any predictions calling for Iowa State to win six games and reach a bowl. Sports Illustrated's preseason prediction for ISU was 2-10.

ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard deserves credit, too. He's 2-for-2 in hiring football coaches. The two-year Gene Chizik era didn't produce much winning, but Chizik would have started winning had he stayed. And Chizik left behind many of the players that Rhoads and his staff have molded.

The irony of players recruited by current Auburn coach Chizik beating Oklahoma State and helping Alabama's chances of reaching the BCS title game wasn't lost on Crimson Tide or Auburn fans this weekend.

Also, Pollard agreed to move the Oklahoma State game from a Saturday afternoon to a Friday night. He said this at the time the switch was made: “Earning a second national TV contest on ESPN (the first was a September game at Connecticut) is important for the growth of our program. This is also another opportunity for our recruits and alums to see the Cyclones play on national television.”

It turned out to be a showcase. The excitement from the game, the result that meant so much to so many teams and had college football fans everywhere wrapped up in it, the shots of Jack Trice Stadium's field being engulfed by delirious Iowa Staters afterward, the game being the lead story on ESPN's SportsCenter from late Friday through Saturday morning ... it's no exaggeration to call that a perception-changer for the program.

Such fame is fleeting if it isn't built upon, of course. But today, Rhoads and his staff don't have to work as hard to explain to high school players who the Cyclones are and what they're doing.